A recent Profile of Occupational Health and Safety of South Africa report issued by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) revealed critical gaps in employee health, safety and environment (HSE) procedures exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The highest compliance rate was noted in the construction and agriculture sectors, while the lowest was in manufacturing and retail. In the mining sector, fatalities remain a challenge despite a decline in injuries.
In terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and other legislation, all employees who are exposed to hazards in the workplace are entitled to proper health and safety assistance programmes. The employer must also provide effective leadership in HSE management and demonstrate management commitment by allocating sufficient resources and training to foster workplace health and safety.
Allocating resources to undergo rigorous off-site HSE training has become a strain for many companies given the pandemic, rising costs, technological advances and growing levels of socio-political uncertainty on home ground. This can adversely impact efforts to ensure a proactive approach to finding and fixing workplace hazards before they cause injury, illness or death.
SAMTRAC eLearning delivers greater learning flexibility
To meet the needs of companies looking for greater innovation and convenience when it comes to upskilling not just their safety managers, but anybody whose daily tasks have a direct impact on the safety of others, a new Safety Management Training Course (SAMTRAC) eLearning offering has been developed by leading occupational safety and environmental health solution provider, SafetyCloud (formerly NOSA), in partnership with industry experts. SafetyCloud is the exclusive provider in South Africa of the globally sought-after and comprehensive SAMTRAC training certification, aimed at improving levels of security and safety in the workplace.
SAMTRAC eLearning provides a flexible alternative to SafetyCloud’s existing SAMTRAC classroom training, or its webinar learning option introduced at the start of the pandemic.
The SAMTRAC eLearning suite provides a more modern learning experience that includes video and virtual reality. It enables employees to complete their training and, for the first time, take all their exams and assessments entirely online at their own pace anywhere, anytime.
Chantal Gray, Managing Director at SafetyCloud, said, “With SAMTRAC eLearning, industries most at risk can now harness the power of e-learning and online exams with a view to improving safety and security in the workplace, without any major disruption to their normal operations. SAMTRAC eLearning leverages global trends and best practice to help individuals effectively learn techniques and implement up-to-date procedures that contribute to the safety and security of human life on the job.”
The e-Learning suite offers four SAMTRAC courses – Introduction to SAMTRAC, SAMTRAC, Introduction to SAMTRAC International and SAMTRAC International – to support learning advancement and career progression towards higher earnings.
South African HSE legislation is covered through SAMTRAC’s prerequisite course, Introduction to SAMTRAC which is recognised by the South African Institute of Safety and Health (SAIOSH) and verified for 5 CPD points. The next step up is the SAMTRAC course, which is accredited by MerSETA (the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority), aligned to the National Qualification Framework and comprises a skills programme of 16 credits and 5 SAIOSH CPD points.
International HSE legislation is covered in Introduction to SAMTRAC International, as well as SAMTRAC International, both recognised by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and SAIOSH, and each providing 5 CPD points.
Gray adds, “The SAMTRAC e-Learning courses are at the forefront of digital learning, blending a mix of virtual reality technologies and real-life case studies to help learners in all sectors understand concepts, issues, procedures and techniques relating to safety, health and environment, and how they can be applied successfully in real-world situations. They have been designed by industry experts and combine theory with practice to produce well-rounded workers with the ability to find proactive solutions to safety issues.”
Commitment to building a culture of safety
Regular, accredited health and safety training can be an important steppingstone to creating safer workplaces, safeguarding an employer from potential penalties that could include fines and imprisonment with a criminal record. In cases of injury or death, the employer may be held liable jointly or individually in respect of executives, managers, supervisors and employees. A poor HSE record can also have other dire consequences, including consumer boycotts, hefty fines, loss of contracts and a negative impact on employee morale and productivity.
SafetyCloud is committed to building a much-needed culture of safety in South Africa and will partner with employers needing to implement programmes to comply with legislation.
For more information on course details and registration, go to safetycloud.co.za
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